THE MESSAGE NOW
Vol. 3, No. 21 – Monday, 21st May, 2018
(Hebrews 11:32-38, Genesis 49:26, 33, Genesis 50:22-26)
LITTLE THINGS THAT COUNT (Part 5)
Welcome again to this edition of The Message Now. I pray that God who has graciously given us this magazine and continues to sustain by and through His word in this magazine shall continue to bless us and never leave us. May the Spirit of the Lord bless you again very richly this week.
All of our Scriptures in today’s edition tell us about two things: (1) an inventory of achievements by the characters directly or indirectly addressed, and (2) the constancy of that natural phenomenon called death. These two information are the focus of today’s edition.
I argue that two major questions cross the minds of intelligent—deep—thinkers at the announcement of the death of people especially near—persons. One question is: where has this fellow gone to? The other is: what does the record of his/her lifetime show?
To die empty is a great gain understood and enjoyed by the wise only. But it is the hobby of fools to die full of God-given ideas and talents still well-stock up in them. I argue that if any one at the peak of high school (secondary school) had not at least an idea or vision to pursue in life, that person’s failure didn’t start today.
The clear writing of that person’s failure had been written in letters of iron long before yesterday. The fact remains that every future is built from the fusion of several ideas of yesterday acted upon today, yielding fruits of today’s action by the dawn of tomorrow. Is your life driven by purpose, planning and consequent action?
Take a pause and ask yourself the question: where will I be in the next five years and the years following? An answer can be that: you would get married, get another degree, raise children, make money, grow old, and of course, die at old age. If that sequence of answers is your answer, then your life has no record of greatness. You are merely a stream which flows through and past the surface of the earth.
The sun would rise some day and the surface impact you left behind will evaporate so soon. It means you died full of ideas and talents. It further means that you died as ordinary as the dog and cats do die. Hear the words of Ralph Woldo Emerson: ‘the regrets of our old age are the mistakes we made in our youth’.
Living life as you have lived it so far uneventfully is a mistake. It can be corrected today if you decide to. If not, God and humanity will never miss you after you are gone. Your history page too would be left empty.
To avoid this: (1) get away from the noise and busy life. (2) Dialogue with yourself. (3) Ask yourself very serious questions. (4) Provide genuine answers to your serious questions. (5) Admit failures and shortcomings. (6) reconsider your ways, develop new ideas and proffer ways to accomplish them. (7) Remember your errors of the past like misuse of time and in your meditation, forgive yourself and others for the waste, and (8) pray to God right there in your meditation and promise Him to be focused, be more quiet and meditative and keep the outcome of your meditation between you and God alone.
IN THE END, ASK YOURSELF AND HONESTLY ANSWER THE QUESTION HOW YOU WOULD LIKE TO DIE AND WITH WHAT LEGACY BEHIND. THE UNDERSTANDING FROM THAT QUESTION AND CONSEQUENT ANSWER WILL SHAPE YOUR FOCUS AND PRIORITIES LONG BEFORE THAT MOMENT OF DEATH COMES.
Question and Answer Session:
Question: Using the principles of BODMAS: what is the answer to the question 9+9+9+9X0-2
Answer: =25.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
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ALTAR CALL:
Backslidden – living in sin – needing fresh recommitment (say):
Christ Jesus, You are the Anointed One of the Most High. I come to you today as I am. In your mercy, help me out of my situation. Heal my soul, my spirit, my body, my life and my destiny. I acknowledge you as the only true lover of my soul. Please, deliver me on every side and save me through and through. I promise from the depth of my soul to be yours from henceforth, in Jesus name. Help me now O God. Be my Lord, my Saviour and my all in all from this day. Thank you Lord (read Ps.54 in closing and pray more).
HYMN: Trust And Obey
PRAY NOW:
Pastor Mike
